Preview: The Passionate - The Bedouin of Wyrms I
Continuing the tradition of pieces based on characters in the Dungeons and Dragons game that I run, The Bedouin of Wyrms follows a young ranger who struggles to find a place in the world, trying to find out how to deal of moral quandaries with no correct answer. Despite this, Sylveon Jastire keeps a kind heart and solemn sense of purpose.
A three part suite of themes dedicated to the character of an altruistic monk hailing from the desert of a hostile land. Instrumentation consists of Flute, Trumpet, Classical Guitar, Timpani, Castanets, and Secco (woodblock). Ten Minutes in length with all three movements.
A excerpt from a work-in-progress suite dedicated to my fiancé based on her character in Dungeons and Dragons. A gruff man from the frozen north who trained their lycanthropy in the mountains of Mothnir for the hope of all common people. For Violin, Viola, Cello, and Contrabass.
Based on a festival held in a major city within the fantasy world I have been creating since 2017, Montecian Festival provides a look into one of the more popular street fairs in the country of Gioveghanni. Play the games and dance the night away in Calle Montec. For Solo Clarinet and Piano Accompaniment.
Return Me Home to Frost Laden Trees is an homage to the snowstorms I would watch from warm inside the house, staring outside the front window and into the one lamp on our street, where the snow swirled around the forest behind it. This arrangement is specifically for Piano, pared down for more accessible play compared to its orchestral counterpart.
This piece covers three dances that would be wholly impractical is a realistic setting.
In Reel Time features frantic staccato within mixed meter, with meter changes, Pas de Une is a Romantic Dance with another, but by ones self, and Third Wheel Waltz shows the frustration of a friend who has tagged along to a date and is lonely amid chaos.
Treants are fantasy creatures resembling large trees with a humanoid form. Protectors of nature, these large tree people are infamous for their low agility, but uncanny ability to blend in with the perfectly mundane trees it is bound to protect.
When I was asked to write this piece for Dr. Van Klompenberg, I was honored to be included in the project, but also nervous as I had not yet written for or have much knowledge on the bassoon, let alone its contra sibling. After doing some research on instrument ranges and effective rhythmic capability, I decided that it would be funny if I wrote the instrument a march. Given my perception of double reeded instruments sounding like the forest, as well as my affinity for a certain famous literary Treant, it seemed like a no brainer to make the creature the subject of this march.
Umami is a piece written for Clarinet Choir and Clarinet Quartet. Initially being written as a joke, Umami was written for the clarinet quartet at my university known as Sweet Beef. As I continued to write, I realized the end of the academic year was quickly approaching, and with the end of the year would come the retirement of the quartet, as one of the members would be moving out of state to further their academic year. This was the turning point of the piece, where it went from a silly inside joke to a celebration and farewell to a friend.